So, Just Who is Dhul-qarnayn?

Dhul-qarnayn (Dhul Qarnayn, Dhul Qarnain, Zhul-qarnayn, Zul Qarnayn are also sometimes used) is a
mysterious figure mentioned in the Qur’an whose identity has been a matter of
contention and speculation to this day. Many differing theories were proposed
on the identity of Dhul-qarnayn by Islamic scholars throughout the ages. This
naturally has caused/been causing somewhat of a confusion. In this article, I
am going to offer yet another opinion as to who this mysterious figure is. My
goal, of course, is not to add to the confusion but rather to help eliminate
it.

The Arabic name Dhul-qarnayn
means the Two-horned one, or He of the Two Epochs (the prefix “Dhul-” (or Zhul) means
“owner of,”qarnayn means “two horns” or “two epochs”). Claims about his
identity range from him being Alexander the Great to Cyrus the Great to a
Himyarite king of Yemen.1-2 Maulana Muhammad Ali opines that he is
none other than the Persian king Darius the Great.3 The late
Pakistani scholar Maududi identifies Dhul-qarnayn with the Persian king Cyrus
the Great.4 Some earlier scholars held that Dhul-qarnayn was a
Himyarite king in Yemen.5

Historically, a
significant number of Islamic scholars espoused the idea of Alexander the Great
to be Dhul-qarnayn due to the former’s expeditions to the West and East of the
ancient world, and his representation on some of his coins with two horns.
Scholars of late have gradually distanced themselves from the view claiming
that the polytheism of Alexander the Great disqualifies him to be Dhul-qarnayn,
a strict monotheist.2,3,4 In the same vein, I find the plausibility
of Darius the Great or Cyrus the Great to be Dhul-qarnayn very flimsy
because both of these great kings were known to be Zoroastrians and who
contributed to the spread and institutionalization of Zoroastrianism. Moreover,
if Dhul-qarnayn were indeed any one of these powerful kings, they would have
surely proselytized a significant number of their subjects without much
difficulty. But I see Zoroastrianism flourishing in the centuries following the
demise of these kings. In fact, I advance the same argument against the remote
probability that Alexander the Great was Dhul-qarnayn as we see no indication
of a monotheist religion tradition flourishing under the Alexander the Great in
the territories he conquered (never mention the fact that we see no such
account coming from Alexander the Great’s teacher, the great philosopher and
scientist Aristotle.) Not seeing any such personage in the historical accounts
does only indicate that Dhul-qarnayn must have lived long before the times of
these mentioned kings.

Amidst all this
confusion, some contemporary scholars posit that the story of Dhul-qarnayn
ought to be seen as nothing more than a spiritual parable, an allegory rather
than a historical reality.1-3 “Who was he? In what age, and where
did he live? The Qur’an gives us no material on which we can base a positive
answer. Nor is it necessary to find an answer, as the story is treated as a
parable…” writes the late Islamic scholar Abdullah Yusuf Ali.1
Muhammad Asad states that “We must, therefore, conclude that the latter (the
story of Dhul-qarnayn) has nothing to do with history or even legend, and that
its sole purport is a parabolic discourse on faith and ethics, with specific
reference to the problem of worldly power.”2

In my view, the
rationale behind this approach is twofold: (1) the frustration due to the so
many conflicting theories about the character of Dhul-qarnayn, and (2) a
tendency to evade any potential criticism by not having a “closure” on this
topic. This “allegory” approach to seemingly mysterious and formidable Qur’anic
topics and stories is also employed by scholars such as Muhammad Ali and
Muhammad Asad when expounding the Qur’anic concepts such as Mi’raj, jinns, and
Ya’juj and Ma’juj.2,3 Although I completely agree with the idea that
these stories do employ allegories and parables to convey powerful spiritual meanings,
I find it hard to believe that the Qur’an tells us events or personalities that
are just fictional.

Here I would like to
offer a new identification for Dhul-qarnayn. My analysis hinges on the answers
to the following questions.

1- What was the
context and background of the Dhul-qarnayn question?

2- Is there any
other sacred/historical document in which one can look for the character?

3- What are the
qualities of this person?

4- How do all these
come together?

5- Any support for
my claim from any classical Islamic scholar?

Now let us answer
these questions one by one:

1- What was the context and
background of the Dhul-qarnayn question?

They ask thee
concerning Dhul-qarnain. Say, "I will rehearse to you something of his
story." Verily We established his power on earth, and We gave him the ways
and the means to all ends. The Qur’an 18: 83-84 (Abdullah Yusuf
Ali Translation).

Ibn Kathir mentions
the following hadith on the reason why the Qur’anic chapter mentioning Dhul-qarnayn
(and still other mysterious stories and topics such as the “Seven” Sleepers, Al
Khidr, and the Spirit) was revealed6:

Muhammad bin Ishaq mentioned the reason why this Surah was
revealed. He said that an old man from among the people of Egypt who came to
them some forty-odd years ago told him, from `Ikrimah that Ibn `Abbas said:
"The Quraysh sent An-Nadr bin Al-Harith and `Uqbah bin Abi Mu`it to the
Jewish rabbis in Al-Madinah, and told them: `Ask them (the rabbis) about
Muhammad, and describe him to them, and tell them what he is saying. They are
the people of the first Book, and they have more knowledge of the Prophets than
we do.' So they set out and when they reached Al-Madinah, they asked the Jewish
rabbis about the Messenger of Allah . They described him to them and told them
some of what he had said. They said, `You are the people of the Tawrah and we
have come to you so that you can tell us about this companion of ours.' They
(the rabbis) said, `Ask him about three things which we will tell you to ask,
and if he answers them then he is a Prophet who has been sent (by Allah); if he
does not, then he is saying things that are not true, in which case how you
will deal with him will be up to you. Ask him about some young men in ancient
times, what was their story For theirs is a strange and wondrous tale. Ask him
about a man who travelled a great deal and reached the east and the west of the
earth. What was his story? And ask him about the Ruh (soul or spirit) -- what
is it? If he tells you about these things, then he is a Prophet, so follow him,
but if he does not tell you, then he is a man who is making things up, so deal
with him as you see fit.'

The Makkans, of
course, upon hearing the above advice, questioned prophet Muhammad accordingly.
The prophet answered all of their questions with a newly revealed Qur’anic
chapter named the Cave. The “young men” mentioned in the question (called the
People of the Cave) are usually associated with the Christian story of the
Seven Sleepers.1,2 But since the above questions were asked by the
Rabbis of Madina, it might mean they wanted to challenge the Prophet’s
knowledge about this mysterious Christian story as well. Or –as indicated by
Muhammad Asad- the story of these young men might be of Jewish origin possibly
referring to the ascetic Essene Movement.2 What really matters is the
fact that the Dhul-qarnayn question had stemmed from Judeo-Christian sources,
specifically from the “people of the book” of Madina.

2- Is there any other
sacred/historical document in which one can look for the character?

The answer to “Ask him about a man who travelled a great
deal and reached the east and the west of the earth” was Dhul-qarnayn. Thus
since the question pertaining to Dhul-qarnayn is of Judeo-Christian origin, it
is only plausible to look for him in the Bible, the most sacred scripture of
Judeo-Christian tradition, and potentially other Judeo-Christian texts such as
the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Gnostic Gospels.

3- What are the qualities of this
person?

The questions asked
by the Rabbis are supposedly difficult questions, which deal with enigmatic
stories and figures. Thus the “man who
travelled a great deal and reached the east and the west of the earth’’
must be an enigmatic figure.

When the Qur’anic
story of Dhul-qarnayn is read, one learns that Dhul-qarnayn was a mighty king
and a righteous person. Furthermore, he is mentioned to be someone who travels
to the east and the west, and who is given “the
ways and the means to all ends,” certainly well matching the enigmatic
figure spoken of by the Rabbis of Al-Madinah.

Thus he was someone
who uniquely combined the two distinct -and usually opposing- qualities: the
earthly might of being a king, and the unwavering faith and righteousness (of
spirituality). He was perhaps called Dhul-qarnayn by the Qur’an to mean “He of
the Two Powers,” or “He of the Two Realms (or Dominions),” as according to the
Qur’an, he consummately commanded both the domain of earthly power and the domain
of spirituality.

4- How do all these come together?

With the premise
that the identity of Dhul-qarnayn ought to be sought in the Bible, I ask the
following question:

- Is there a man in
the Bible who is enigmatic (meaning very little is said about him, and what is
said is curious) and who at the same time combines the two distinct qualities
of being a king and a righteous person?

Anyone who studies
the Bible will not fail to say “yes!” to the above question, and identify that
person to be none other than the great king of Salem, Melchizedek.

Melchizedek is
mentioned in the Bible to be the King of Salem and a priest of God the Most
High. In fact, his name “Melchizedek” is a lightly distorted version of Semitic
epithet “melik-i-sadik” meaning “the righteous king.” One of the reasons that
Melchizedek is an enigmatic figure is because he appears once in person in the
Bible and blesses the patriarch Abraham receiving tithes from him. The latter
implying that Melchizedek is similar in rank to Abraham, if not superior. Below
is the Biblical account of Melchizedek as given in the Book of Genesis:

“(18) And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine; and he was
priest of God the Most High. (19) And he blessed him, and said: 'Blessed
be Abram of God Most High, Maker of heaven and earth; (20) and blessed
be God the Most High, who hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand.' And he
gave him a tenth of all.7

Thus in the light of
the four points made above, I posit that Dhul-qarnayn of the Qur’an is none
other than Melchizedek of the Bible. So much so that even their names/titles do
carry the same meaning; Melchizedek as the King of Salem, a priest of God the
Most High, whose name/title means “Righteous King,” blessing patriarch Abraham
and receiving tithe from him; Dhul-qarnayn as a most powerful king who is at
the same time highly God-conscious and receives revelation/inspiration from
God, whose name/title means he of the two horns, epochs or powers. Both combine
the unique qualities of earthly and spiritual might, and both are enigmatic
figures in the eyes of people.

In other
Judeo-Christian texts such as the Gnostic Gospels, Melchizedek is mentioned as
an eschatological “high-priest” and “holy warrior.”8 In the Second
Book of Jeu, a Coptic gnostictext,
Melchizedek is addressed by Jesus as “Zorokothora Melchizedek.” James Davila
states that the meaning of “Zorokothora” is unknown, but he claims it to be
related to nomina barbara.”9 A nomina barbarum is a word or set of
words uttered for magical effects. It is not unlikely that “Zorokothora” and “Dhul-qarnayn”
are related. For more on this, see notes.10

5- Any support for my claim from
any classical Islamic scholar?

Ibn Kathir in his
Al-Bidaya wa'l-Nihaya (The Beginning and the End) mentions that Dhul-qarnayn was
a contemporary of Abraham. The two are mentioned to have had various
encounters.11 In fact, Ibn Kathir states that Dhul-qarnayn lived
about 2000 years before the times of Alexander the Great. That certainly
matches well with the claim that Dhul-qarnayn was a contemporary of Abraham.
All this gives strong credence to my proposition that Dhul-qarnayn is
Melchizedek.

In the works of the
Islamic scholars, I have not come across any who makes the link between
Melchizedek and Dhul-qarnayn. However, Abdullah Yusuf Ali compares Alkhidr to
Melchizedek. Nevertheless, Alkhidir is not known to be a king, unlike
Melchizedek.1 In addition, Alkhidr is not mentioned in the Bible,
hence he cannot be the person about whom the Jewish questioners of the Prophet were
inquiring.

Conclusion

The hadith context
of the Qur’anic revelation concerning the story of Dhul-qarnayn and his unique
quality of being a king and a righteous man points us in the direction of a
Biblical personality. Close examination of the Qur’anic, the Biblical and other
Judeo-Christian accounts of Dhul-qarnayn and Melchizedek, respectively, coupled
with the meaning of their names and titles give credible support to my hypothesis
that Dhul-qarnain is non other than Melchizedek.

Serkan Zorba

References and Notes

1.Abdullah Yusuf Ali, The Holy
Qur’an: English Translation of the Meanings and Commentary.

2.Muhammad Asad, The Message of the
Qur’an.

3.Maulana Muhammad Ali, The Holy
Qur’an: English Translation and Commentary.

10.On an admittedly speculative note, I advance the following hypothesis: there
is a possibility that Dhul-qarnayn was called Dhul-qitran or Zor-qitran,
meaning “one who commands molten copper”
in reference to his employing qitran (meaning ‘molten copper’) on finishing the rampart he built against Gog and
Magog. The word “qitran” appears in
the Qur’an (18:96) in reference to none other than Dhul-qarnayn himself as
follows: in transliteration “qala atoonee ofrigh AAalayhi qitran,” meaning “"Bring
me ‘molten copper’ which I may pour
upon it" (M. Asad translation). The prefix “Dhul” (which means “owner of”)
could have been “dhor” or “dhur” as such variation is possible among closely
related Semitic languages. For example, “Dhul” of Arabic becomes “tre” in
Aramic. Or “bin” of Arabic becomes “bar” in Aramaic. This could be where Zorokothora
came from.